| When Harshini Perera was nine she would go to the Dehiwela Zoo with a stick tucked in her jeans. Surreptitiously sliding the stick through the bars of the bird cages, she would pick up any feathers fallen on the ground to add to her colourful collection.
Now, a 28-year-old mother, she has not lost an iota of that mischievous nature.
Harshini describes her life as predestined. But few would have predicted the interesting twists and turns her life has taken that led to her being offered a rare opportunity to model in Hollywood, be crowned Miss Sri Lanka or win the Sarasavi Best Upcoming Actress award.
“When I was asked in school what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would reply saying- I don’t know, whatever life brings my way,” she smiles.
And life has whisked her through what seems like a fairy tale. She traces her fascination for gems to the age of six and so it was natural that straight out of school, she went to work in a jewellery store, soon becoming one of the head designers of Agasti, after she was ‘discovered’ at her first art exhibition.
Four years later, she decided she needed a professional qualification to validate what she did. Her family meanwhile was living in New York, and joining them, Harshini studied at the Gemmology Institute of America. As fate would have it a Hollyoowd actress offered her the chance to model in Hollywood. Tempting as the offer was, Harshini decided she wanted to complete the jewellery designing course as her parents advised her against changing her career path by getting caught up in the glamour of New York.
“My parents said, ‘look, you’ve come here to do designing. Watch what you do and don’t change your path just because you get some random offer.’ But it wasn’t some random offer! That was Hollywood for God’s sake!” she says.
“Anyway, I considered their advice. I told her (the actress), I had to pass on the offer. That surprised her because to her, most people don’t even know where Sri Lanka is. To her I came from an insignificant developing country. I told her, that was not the case and that I had to turn down her offer as I wanted to complete the designing course I was doing.”
The offer to model in Hollywood had however sparked some interest in Harshini and on her return to Sri Lanka, she decided she wanted to explore modelling as a career as well. She enrolled in the Miss Sri Lanka pageant confident that she would win- and she did.
While opening many doors, the Miss Sri Lanka 2004 title she says was also a means to do as much charity work as she could, especially in the aftermath of the tsunami.Being crowned Miss Sri Lanka, Miss Tourism at an international pageant, acting in the award winning movie Hiri poda Wassa and winning an award for her performance, are some of Harshini’s many achievements.
However, with the birth of her son, Aakesh, Harshini has dedicated her time to being a full-time mother. It was the maternal bond she shares with her son that inspired her to paint and sketch her latest collection of work. Titled “Love in strokes”, Harshini attempts to capture maternal love in all beings.
Her other work to be displayed at an exhibition at the Lionel Wendt on March 28 and 29 includes paintings of women adorned with jewellery for which she uses real gems.
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